VIII. The Doubt of the Severed Sleeve

"Why can't I say such things?" Milan smiled at her, suddenly recalling something, "Oh right, I remember one year when I returned home for the holidays, you were in high school at that time, right? Your mother said you were in a puppy love, completely infatuated with some boy. She was furious, anxious as if the world was ending, and told me about it. I advised her to let you be, and she scolded me for it. So, how about that boy? Where is he now? Is there still a chance?"

She also remembers that she, always obedient and well-behaved, looked into her mother's eyes and said, "I just like him, I just like Chen Xiu"

Hello everyone, my name is Jean Tuen, Kevin's new assistant. I hope to receive your guidance and support in the future

"Call me Thomas, the Director of the Design Department," the middle-aged man smiled innocently, "Work hard, and I believe you must have exceptional qualities for Kevin to have given you this job."

"Cherry, you shouldn't always be so direct; it might scare people," a friendly, bespectacled man with a Nippon style whistled at her, admiring her black dress. "The black style of Victoria, I like it"

Returning to my seat, I turned on my phone. There were no voice messages, nor any notifications for missed calls. The only message in my inbox was from Milan, inviting me to dinner.

"Black tea?" She couldn't help but feel embarrassed, having actually forgotten her boss, who held the power over her career life and death. "I will go buy it now"

"Do you think Qin Qian might be gay?" Milan suddenly spoke up after listening to the naive work report from Tian Zhen.

However, regardless of the circumstances, he is indeed interested in women," Milan put down her knife and fork and looked at her, a somewhat enigmatic smile on her face, "Why not give it a try to win him over? After all, proximity to the water tower makes it easier to catch the moon.

"I want to drink tea," he looked up at her and repeated, "You only know how to be friendly with colleagues, don't you know how to please your superiors?"

He then began to outline her job responsibilities, as the faint aroma of black tea lingered, she wrote earnestly with innocence.

Then he might also be bisexual. Milan was unconvinced

Colleagues are friendly, right?" she said with an innocent smile

The glass door slowly opened, and several colleagues cheered as they stood up, only to see Qin Qian holding a cup of coffee. They were momentarily stunned for a few seconds, then rushed over to express their gratitude, quickly took their own cups, and hurriedly left.

You think about it, Qin Qian has established his own territory in this circle, hasn't he? His reputation is quite significant, so I believe he has his own issues as well..." Milan continued to hold his opinion.

With an innocent and awkward smile—surpassing others? ... She is quite shocking, to say the least ...

On the second day, when he arrived at the studio, there were already seven or eight people engrossed in their work inside.

However, imagining Qin Qian's cold and hard-featured face with a sense of naivety still makes this possibility seem somewhat far-fetched

"First, let's see if Kevin can persuade you to stay for the future," a young woman's voice, unyielding and assertive, rang out. Tian Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then awkwardly smiled. The beautiful woman who spoke took the initiative to extend her hand and introduced herself, "Cherry"

Tian Zhen followed him into the office, closed the door, and turned around to look at him with some apprehension: "Actually... I don't quite understand what being your personal assistant entails."

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He looked at her left hand, which was filled with a paper bag, and in her right hand, there were four cups of coffee on a tray. Finally, he expressionlessly took the coffee.

"Come here," Qin Qian said, looking at her with an indifferent expression

"What are you buying so much for?" he asked

Tian Zhen gradually came to her senses and saw Qin Qian intently looking at the screen, lightly tapping the keyboard. The pale blue glow reflected off his glasses, shimmering intermittently.

Tian Zhen choked on a mouthful of juice, coughing for quite a while before catching her breath—this is just too ridiculous. Milan's suggestions and the clever use of verses truly astonished her.

What? Tian Zhen was taken aback, not having heard clearly

At that time, my mother was indeed very angry ... Even now, she still remembers the slap on her cheek, which stung fiercely, and the swollen area took several days to subside

Tian Zhen was instantly taken aback, never expecting her to suddenly bring up this matter

I am not joking," Milan sighed, looking at her with gentle eyes, "If your mother were still here, she would surely be anxious about your marriage matters by now.

What is strange about this? Tom Ford, the former designer of Gucci; Hedi Slimane, the designer of Dior Homme; Christopher Bailey, the designer of Burberry; Karl Lagerfeld, the designer of Chanel; Marc Jacobs, the designer of Louis Vuitton; Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the founders of Dolce & Gabbana; John Galliano, the designer of Christian Dior... which of these renowned male designers is not gay? Milan meticulously lists his arguments, "Last time Nelly even lamented to me that it seems male designers find it very difficult to succeed unless they are gay, and some designers even pretend to be gay on purpose to achieve success"

Why do you insist on thinking that he has homosexual tendencies? Tian Zhen found it somewhat amusing and perplexing

He ...? ... This is a joke with her. She looked at his silent expression with innocent confusion

He gazed in the direction of the sound with innocence; he was a suave middle-aged man, somewhat reminiscent of George Clooney

It was only later that I realized the only one who foolishly believed in this relationship was her alone

No need, he said lightly, "The cabinet on the far right of the break room contains all my things, and there are tea bags inside."

Thus began the formal work, and only then did Tian Zhen realize that the entire office building belonged to Qin Qian's company property. The floor she worked on was the design department, while several floors below housed other departments such as marketing planning and sample garment production

Qin Qian sat down in the office and turned on the computer: "Tea."

She felt that the air pressure in the room suddenly dropped, and she quickly stood up and left.

What are you still doing here, frozen in place? A calm voice floated up.

Take notes. Tian Zhen raised the notebook in her hand, which contained a detailed and organized account of what he had narrated. This was a habit she had developed during her studies

Naively blinking her eyes, she dutifully distributed snacks and sandwiches to them

Oh. Tian Zhen nodded and quickly took a cup from his desk to brew a cup of hot tea and returned

Lowering my head, I took a sip of orange juice, the bittersweet and sour taste in my mouth reminiscent of the flavors of that summer year

"He, it was just a first love," she said to Milan with a smile, her tone casual, "Everyone knows that first loves usually end in failure"

"Can't you remember using your brain?" he said coldly

Qin Qian had not appeared until the afternoon tea time, when Tian Zhen took the initiative to volunteer to go downstairs to buy snacks for her colleagues, and it was then that she encountered him at the elevator entrance

What are you writing?" After finishing his words, he took a sip of tea and set down the cup, his dark eyes quietly gazing at her

Becoming a renowned designer is indeed no easy feat. At least every six months, one must launch a substantial collection to demonstrate their talent. This requires not only a strong team for support but also, if the response to the collection is mediocre, it is the designer themselves who will be the subject of ridicule. The success or failure of a fashion brand hinges on the market. In this industry, art can only prove its value when it generates profit. For those outside the industry, mocking fashion is far easier than understanding it. The designer themselves are truly the ones who face ridicule, and the success or failure of a fashion brand is determined by the market. In this field, art can only prove its value when it brings in money, and for outsiders, it is much easier to mock fashion than to comprehend it.

A pang of bitterness welled up in my nose, and I remained silent

Tian Zhen gently shook the hand holding the pen, silently closing the notebook—at that time, Chen Xu had also said similar words... Remembering Chen Xu, she suddenly recalled that she had not yet opened her phone today

Tian Zhen was left dumbfounded... and began to feel that what Milan said was not without reason

Sometimes I think about it, your grandmother gave birth to two sons and three daughters, your mother became the deputy head of the municipal discipline inspection commission, dedicating herself to work, and divorced your father when you were 7 years old. In the end, she passed away from cancer while still single. Your second aunt and her husband started from scratch, working hard to create such a large clothing factory, and now your second aunt's husband is keeping a young mistress. As for me, I can be considered a high-income professional, yet I am nearing 40 and still not married. Looking back at your two aunts, they do not work, spending their days pampering pets, doing beauty treatments, and shopping, living as comfortably as one can... Therefore, if a woman can stably marry a good husband, that is enough.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Ah? The knife and fork in Tian Zhen's hand nearly fell to the ground. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "Impossible, he is already married and has a son."

Suddenly, she began to doubt whether the voice of Chen Xu on the phone yesterday was merely a figment of her imagination

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

As Tian Zhen just arrived at her seat, a rather magnetic voice rose behind her: "Is this beautiful young lady Kevin's new PA?"

"You are my personal assistant, not their tea server. You only need to handle the tasks I assign to you," he said coldly, frowning in displeasure

"This is really not something you would say..." The naive and hesitant speaker suddenly felt a wave of emotion in their heart